Pepe Reina's agent has confirmed that the Napoli goalkeeper has turned down the chance to join Paris Saint-Germain and will be staying at the Serie A club, where his father says he feels at home.
Reina, who turns 35 on Thursday, made a tearful lap of honour at the Stadio San Paolo at the weekend and seemed to be saying his goodbyes to Napoli's fans ahead of a move to PSG.
However, according to his agent Manuel Garcia Quilon, he has chosen to stay with the Azzurri, where he is under contract until the end of the current campaign, with a new deal reported.
"Pepe is delighted to be staying with Napoli," Quilon told Radio Kiss Kiss.
His father Miguel added in an interview with Radio CRC that Reina's love for the city of Naples, the club's fans and admiration for coach Maurizio Sarri had convinced him not to accept what would have been a lucrative final contract of his career in the French capital.
"Pepe is happy in Naples," he said. "He's got a splendid relationship with the club and wants to respond to the affection the city have always shown towards him.
"I can confirm [he is staying], which is the way I've understood it. He's well liked and he also has a splendid relationship with Sarri. Both Reina and [president Aurelio] De Laurentiis are two great men and know that the best way to continue their relationship is to sit down and talk it through.
"Respect is then a key feature of every relationship and that should be the basis of their collaboration this year. As Reina's father, I can guarantee how honest my son is, and that he has great respect for Napoli.
"He's a serious professional and he will always honour the Azzurri shirt because he feels loved by and loves the city. He's going to stay at Napoli because he wants to win the Scudetto here. He and the team have a dream and I am sure that Pepe will do all he can to make it come true."
Napoli have won their opening two Serie A fixtures after also beating Nice over two legs to reach the group stage of the Champions League, where they will play Manchester City, Feyenoord and Shakhtar Donetsk.